Social media has 'drastically changed' travel

Social media has "drastically changed" how Canadians travel.

Social media has 'drastically changed' travel

November 24, 2018

A study by Booking.com has revealed that people are increasingly inspired by social media platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest and where their favourite celebrities have holidayed and took photos at.

Andre Buarque, Booking.com's Alberta area manager, said: "It's changed drastically the way we travel, the influence is there. Do the posts from other people influence what we do and what we buy? Yes, of course, especially travel because we're talking about an experience; it's not a physical product. What we saw on the research ... around 11 per cent of Canadian travellers got inspiration on where to travel and what to do by celebrities or Instagrammers, those famous ones. Some of them actually reproduce the same poses at the same place that they did - kind of intimating their idols or people they admire. Pretty much every single traveller now is an advertiser. They can take the pictures, they can advertise that and they can inspire other people."

However, some are doing the opposite and avoiding these popular destinations.

Buarque added: "We found 43 per cent of Canadian travellers actually want to travel where people never go. So it's actually the opposite. They see the picture, they say, 'Crowded place, got it.' Half of them say, 'Lovely. I want to go to a place nobody is going.' I think it's a lot of the social media effect to be like, 'Oh, I've been here. This is unique. This is a unique experience."

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